Austin's very first food hall reveals anticipated restaurant lineup

Austin's very first food hall reveals anticipated restaurant lineup

Highly anticipated downtown marketplace Fareground is on track to open this fall. The combination outdoor park and indoor lobby will feature coworking space, an informal event venue, lounges, and conference rooms, as well as a trendy food hall — the very first in Austin.

The list of participating restaurants has finally been released, and it includes exciting new concepts from Austin's hottest culinary teams. Fareground will usher in new locations of Antonelli's Cheese Shop, Contigo, and Easy Tiger, ​as well as brand-new concepts Dai Due Taqueria, Henbit & Honeybit, and Ni-Kome.

Dai Due Taqueria comes from Dai Due, the supper club-turned-restaurant on Manor Road. At the taqueria, you can expect chef Jesse Griffith's emphasis on local ingredients and wild game in taco form.

Henbit & Honeybit is a new venture from the acclaimed Emmer & Rye team. Chef Kevin Fink will apply his sustainable mindset to an approachable menu at Henbit, while pastry chef Tavel Bristol-Joseph will lead Honeybit, a dessert and ice cream cart.

Ni-Kome comes from chefs Take and Kayo Asazu, who are behind Komé Sushi Kitchen and Daruma Ramen. The husband-and-wife duo will combine the contemporary Japanese cuisine of Komé and the noodles of Durama Ramen for the new Fareground outlet.

The food hall is slated to open this fall at One Eleven Congress, located at the intersection of Congress Avenue and East Cesar Chavez Street. The owners, Cousin Properties, tagged local heavyweights .dwg and the Michael Hsu Office of Architecture to head up the landscaping and design, while Elm Restaurant Group curated the food selection.

"Our goal was to capture the heart and soul of Austin's culinary landscape," says Bob Gillett, co-founder of Elm, in a release. "We envision Fareground as a meeting place where tourists and locals alike can pick and choose from a wide variety of cuisines crafted under one roof by Austin's most-loved chefs — or just enjoy a drink in a park-like oasis in the heart of downtown."

Elm operates Easy Tiger (which just debuted a new location at 365 by Whole Foods and has another in the works), 24 Diner, Italic, and Irene's. The group is also working on a cookbook-themed cafe inside Austin's in-progress Central Library.